Review of the Sexual Interactions workshop at CHI 2006: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Really Love My Cell Phone

I’ve had this experience a few times in my life: when attending a conference or workshop I almost immediately sense that what I’m participating in is going to provide so much nourishment for my generally insatiable appetite for sexual thought, that I’ll be dining out (emotionally and intellectually speaking) on it for months. This happened the first time I read feminist psychoanalytic theory; it happened when I attended my first conference on sex and disability; it happened when I participated in the first queer disability conference; and it happened this weekend at the one day Sexual Interactions workshop at CHI 2006.

The workshop was organized by Johanna Brewer, Jofish Kaye, Amanda Williams, and Susan Wyche. The workshop was their response to a discipline that largely ignores sexuality, even as it begins to embrace notions of intimacy (and while it obviously benefits financially from sexuality in any number of ways).

Even though I was out of place in some ways (most of the participants were either grad students, academics with university affiliation or academics working for industry, there was one sex toy manufacturer and I was the only sex educator) the group was exceptionally welcoming and accessible. This workshop was a first for CHI, and there was a sense that everyone was excited to be there among people who were genuinely interested in talking about sexuality and HCI which engendered a wonderfully collaborative and participatory energy. Some participants were quieter than others, but everyone participated.

I’m going to start working on articles for colleagues who work more directly in sexuality, particularly sex educators, sex researchers, and sex therapists, all of whom will find much to be excited about in the papers presented at the workshop. I'll be publishing the articles here.

I'm also still dealing with the after effects of being around so many pieces of sexy technology. I've always had feelings for my cell phone, but I'm very aware that after two days at CHI I'm much more willing to speak of the love that dared not speak its name.

While my cell phone and I are busy coming out of the closet, here is a not so brief summary of the Sexual Interactions workshop.